Okay the weather is wet grey, it’s turning cold i would love to go home and cook something hot up, but something relatively easily, ideas wanted

[Redruby2020]

Hi, so I am no cook, I have posted things on here before about ideas for dinners, and got great responses.

I have only attempted my own soup a few times.

I don’t have a blender to do hot things. Only a Ninja small one.

I watch someone on TikTok who does great meals, recently posted a stew with the season now being very appropriate.
It wasn’t complicated only that I hate chopping, and get bad skin due to dermatitis etc on my hands, and numbness in my hands, all been to GP about but not got that far with things so far.
But in terms of ingredients apart from that i wouldn’t add nor do i already have so many seasonings etc in my cupboard. But it was quite easy.
Obviously a bit of extra cooking time. Because she did what part was on the hob, then because she put dumplings on top, it then went in the oven to crisp up I guess.
She then did mash too i probably wouldn’t bother, as she has a big family. So all that chopping boiling etc.
I would do boiled pots or buy a ready mash, but I find they are better in the microwave, than having to put in a dish and oven cook, but i don’t have a microwave, I want to get one, but i have a kitchen sitting room, literally one side kitchen area it’s like a studio kitchen. In terms of cupboard and work top space.
So any ideas of how I can get one in there would be great.
It’s also because of lack of plugs, and i don’t really want to start using extension cables.

So long story short sorry for babbling on. Is there anyone who is good at throwing something together in a pot to make a quick soup/stew. I like potato so thinking to put that in too.
I see quite a few using diced beef but when I tried it, maybe i didn’t do it right, but it was tough and tasteless to me. So thinking chicken or lamb. If I put meat in.

Thankyou for reading, if you get this far.

Have a Google for Anna's Family Kitchen - she does lots of really simple 'throw in the oven/dish' recipes with minimal prep and chopping...I use them a lot.

Stew really needs long slow cooking in a casserole dish. If you aren’t a seasoned cook, I wouldn’t jump right into that.

What about a chicken soup? I roast chicken legs or thighs, shred and toss into chicken stock that I’ve cooked with onions, carrots and celery. Add white or wild rice or small pasta to bulk out, or just have it with baguette and butter. You don’t need to cook it for 3 hours like a stew, just cook the veg through (maybe 30 ish minutes).

Pastina is another lovely one. You can get pastina pasta if you can find it, but I do it with the straight tube shaped macaroni that you can get in most shops or any small pasta.

https://www.acozykitchen.com/pastina

Sausage casserole is also good and very straightforward. You will make a huge amount, but can be easily frozen as can the chicken soup. Again, I’d have it with a baguette and butter, which is easy.

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/great_sausage_casserole_73010

You can buy stew vegetables ready chopped. (Or buy a chopper https://www.oxouk.com/products/vegetable-chopper-with-easy-pour-opening/). This looks like an easy recipe to follow https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef/beef-stew/.

I find stew easy as it's the oven and time that does the work.

Thankyou 😊

Thankyou, sounds great. Would give the sausage casserole a go too!

We are having this tonight.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/panhaggerty_93163
It comes out much nicer than the simple ingredients would suggest.
We sometimes swap the veg about and add in some sort of cabbage. Usually cook on the hob and brown the cheese under the grill, but it works cooked in the oven too.
A Dublin coddle is similar but uses sausage meat.

I’m doing a chicken and veg pasta bake today. Have chopped up a load of peppers, courgettes and an aubergine plus a red onion into chunks and am roasting that. Later I’ll fry off an onion, carrot and garlic, add some chopped tomatoes and make a sauce, fry off some chicken (or you could use bacon, or chopped sausages) mixed it all together with some pasta that’s cooked Al dente, a dollop of cream cheese (optional) sprinkle some breadcrumbs and Parmesan on top and bake it.

That sounds really nice. But better and healthier with the extra veg, than my usual pasta and a jar sauce for a bake 🤦‍♀️

I do a really simple chicken casserole that always goes down well... takes a whole bottle of wine though.

Brown some skinless, boneless chicken thighs in a bit of oil in saucepan. Set aside.

Chop/fry onion until a little soft/browning in same pot. Add chicken thighs back in, and along with any veg and herbs you fancy. I favour mushrooms and green beans and tarragon, but anything will do.

Pour over whole bottle of cheap white wine and crumble 2 chicken stock cubes. Leave to simmer on a low heat for an hour or two (or transfer to oven if you prefer).

Can't go wrong really, though you do have to chop veg.

I also can't be arsed with proper mash. I get cheap new potatoes from Lidl, boil them with skins, rough mash them, add salt and plenty of olive oil. Delicious, easy and better for you.

I’d second that, also Taming Twins.